


Another World

by kiyala



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 01:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7199876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Retoree's self-indulgent fanfiction is well on its way to fandom-famous, but Cyan's absence is having an obvious impact on her life, on Plasmagica's music, and on everything else too. The only problem is, Cyan's sudden return doesn't really make anything better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inelegantly (Lir)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lir/gifts).



> Dear Lira, I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it!! <3 Thank you for this prompt, because it's the kind of thing I never realised I've been wanting to write!

Retoree wakes up to the discovery that her current work in progress has become the most popular piece of fanfiction in bandom.

It's the first one that comes up when everything is sorted by hits, when sorted by bookmarks, when sorted by kudos, and she blinks blearily at the screen, still too tired to actually process it. She rubs her eyes and grabs for her glasses, but that doesn't change the fact that it's definitely her fic, sitting right there at the top of the page.

"Huh," she says, feeling a little pleased. She's noticed the fact that she's been getting a lot of notifications for comments lately, but she hasn't really been in the mood to check them lately so they've just been sitting there in her inbox, still unread.

It's a muted version of the pride that she once imagined herself feeling, for being able to write the most popular fic for _anything_ —but that's the problem, she thinks. Everything has felt a little muted recently. Ever since—

She sighs, dragging herself out of bed and through her morning routine, bathing and changing so she can go downstairs for some coffee. Maybe that will wake her up enough to be able to process any of this.

ChuChu is already sitting on one of the bar stools, her chin resting on one hand as she turns a mug of coffee around and around on the counter top. Angelica smiles when she sees Retoree come in, and sets about making her a mug of coffee too.

"You look just as tired as ChuChu does," Angelica tells her. "Were you up late last night as well?"

"Um. Yeah." Retoree immediately hopes that Angelica won't question any further, because she doesn't exactly want to explain the fact that she was awake until the small hours of the morning working on her fic and browsing through message boards. She looks at ChuChu, curious, but not wanting to ask in case the question is returned right back at her.

ChuChu notices, though, and gives Retoree a tired smile. "I was trying to tweak our new song and make it work a little better. I didn't have very much luck with it, unfortunately. I thought it might be the lyrics, but I'm just not satisfied with them, no matter how I try to rearrange the words, or try to rewrite the entire verse. It just feels like…"

"There's something missing," Retoree finishes for her, picking up her mug of coffee and taking a slow sip, so she has an excuse not to say any more.

ChuChu freezes up, still half turned towards Retoree, her mouth still open. Then, her shoulders slump and she sighs, resting her chin in her hand again.

"Yeah. That's exactly how it feels."

It's not just the fact that it feels that way—that's just how things have been lately. For the past three weeks, life has gone on, Dagger has been apprehended and the general atmosphere in MIDI City seems to have lightened, but it feels like the complete opposite around the BRR building. Moa has withdrawn into herself a little, spending most of her time on the roof, in her spaceship or just gazing up at the sky, and Retoree wants to say something, but has no idea how to approach the subject at all. Every time she thinks of trying, it leads to her worrying that Moa is preparing to leave as well, and Retoree doesn't think she could handle that happening, doesn't even think she could handle a conversation about it.

There's a very small handful of people that Retoree feels comfortable with in this world, and they all seem to be intent on leaving it, leaving _her_ , and she doesn't know what to do about it, doesn't know how to fill the spaces that they've left behind. She's not the kind of person who would go out and make new friends on her own, and the band has been the best opportunity for her to do that without taking her too far out of her comfort zone. Beyond this, she doesn't have anything but the forums she frequents online and the persona she's constructed there.

"Well, we can't just sit around and mope," ChuChu says, and there's a hardness in her voice that makes Retoree think that her words are mostly directed at herself. "We're not going to get anywhere like that. We've all worked hard to reach our level of popularity. Now is probably the worst time for us to get into a slump!"

Retoree wants to say that it's too late, that they're _already_ in their slump with no idea how to get out of it, but before she can speak, she's interrupted by the sound of the front door opening with a loud bang.

"Angelica!" Maple shouts, and Retoree still isn't used to his deeper voice, or the fact that he's no longer egg-shaped. He's dragging someone behind him. "Angelica, look who I found!"

He steps aside, and Retoree nearly drops her coffee mug in surprise. She puts it down heavily on the counter instead, and the sound draws attention to her.

Cyan, standing there behind Maple, looking just the same as she did the day she left, turns to Retoree, then looks at ChuChu, and gives them a small, shy smile.

"How?" ChuChu breathes, her eyes wide. "You said you were going back to your world. How did you end up here again?"

Cyan's tail twitches, and she looks a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just… missed everyone too much. I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to see you all again, and when I thought about it hard enough…"

"You transported yourself back here?" Angelica asks, and even she sounds surprised by it.

"How long until you leave again?" Retoree asks, because she doesn't want to allow herself to get her hopes up, only to have them shattered all over again.

Cyan looks at her, holding her gaze. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

 

 

* * *

 

 

>   
>  _The princess smiles sadly at her lady knight, a delicate hand resting upon her cheek, eyes shimmering with unshed tears._
> 
> _"I'm sorry," she whispers softly. "I have to go. I know that you'll find me again, one day. I know that we'll be together."_
> 
> When Lady Retoree wakes the next morning, the first thing she does is go to the princess' chambers. The door is open, the guards are crying out in disbelief, and Retoree's heart immediately sinks, because she already knows what has happened. She knows that her dream from last night was more than just simply a dream.
> 
> Princess Cyan has disappeared, and not a soul in the castle seems to know where she went, or how she could have left her room without someone noticing. The guards swear that they didn't hear a single sound, that the door remained shut. The windows to the princess' room are still shut against the night air, curtains drawn. Her room is immaculate as ever, with no signs of struggle.
> 
> Yet, the princess is gone, and Retoree can already feel her absence in the way that it leaves everyone else unsettled, a little argumentative, more eager to shift the blame than to solve the problem itself.
> 
> "I'm going to find her," Retoree declares loudly, her head held high. "I'm going to discover where the princess went, and I'm going to bring her back."
> 
> Her brave words are met with silence, and she sets her jaw, turning on her heel and going to find the king and queen.
> 
> King Maple is a kind ruler, if a little eccentric, kept in line by Queen Angelica. Retoree finds them in their private chambers, just down the hall from Cyan's empty room, and kneels before them, lowering her head with respect.
> 
> "I understand that you are both upset at the moment, and if you want me to return later then I will, but please give me permission to search for the princess. I'll be the one to bring her home. I swear it."
> 
> Maple, getting up and resting his hand on Retoree's shoulder, lets out a sigh. "How will you do that?"
> 
> "I… don't know," Retoree admits. "But I'm willing to try everything possible. I will do whatever I can, find whoever I need to ask for help. I will discover what happened to her, and I'll defeat anyone who tries to stand in my way."
> 
> She looks up, to find that Angelica is smiling at her kindly.
> 
> "I'm glad that there's someone so dedicated to finding our princess. You have our permission. Go and speak to the Marshal, he'll arrange whatever he can to help you."
> 
> Retoree bows even lower this time. "Thank you."

   
— _Another World_ by bonestopick

 

 

* * *

 

 

If the last three weeks could be erased from memory, if things could just move on as if they never happened, life would be much easier.

The only problem is that this isn't the way things work. They've spent so long adjusting to the fact that Cyan is gone that it's difficult to adjust to the fact that she's back again.

Retoree has so many things that she wants to say, so many questions she isn't even sure she wants the answer to, and she holds them all in, turning them over and over in her head.

She leaves Chuchu to catch up with Cyan, to help her readjust to being back. Retoree goes to find Yaiba, so that she can beat him at some games while she calms down.

"I heard that Cyan's returned," Yaiba says, as she sits down beside him on his couch, picking up a controller. News always travels quickly between their groups. "I thought you would want to spend some time with her, hence—"

"Let's play," Cyan interrupts, looking straight ahead at the screen.

She beats him at every multiplayer game that he owns, taking some pleasure it in, but she still doesn't feel any better when she leaves, with Yaiba standing on the balcony to smoke in frustration. She doesn't want to go back to the BRR building just yet and so she wanders about, stopping by at a ramen place for lunch.

She pauses in the doorway, seeing Rom and Crow sitting at a table together, and she's about to leave when Rom looks up, waving her over.

"How come you're here?" Crow asks, as she sits down. "Shouldn't you be with Cyan and the rest of your band?"

"She can eat where she wants," Rom replies, saving Retoree from having to answer. "It's no big deal."

Retoree doesn't want to make conversation as she eats, and she's grateful for the fact that Rom seems to understand that. Crow's happy enough to just talk at them between bites of his food anyway without really expecting a reply, and Retoree is grateful for that, too.

Crow is the first to leave, saying that he's planning to meet up with Aion to work on a new song, leaving Retoree and Rom to walk together.

"Um," Rom says, clearing his throat, and Retoree can already feel her heart sinking, dreading the conversation that they're about to have. "Look, I get that you don't really want to deal with Cyan being back right now, and what that means for you. I don't really know what I'd be doing in your situation either, to be honest."

"…Would you be listening to somebody else dispense advice?" Retoree asks, raising an eyebrow, and Rom laughs quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Probably not. And you really don't have to either, it's just that… I kind of get it, I get why you're putting it off instead of going and talking to her, and I just want to let you know that I already know from experience that it doesn't make things any easier, okay? It's still your choice in the end, and I'm not going to try and talk you around one way or another."

Retoree hums in thought as they keep walking. "Wow. I guess you actually are an adult, after all, huh?"

" _Actually_?" Rom repeats, laughing. "Thanks, I guess. So, which way are you headed?"

With a heavy sigh, Retoree adjusts her glasses. "I'll head over to the studio, I guess."

Rom smiles, but he doesn't say any more.

 

 

* * *

 

 

> The marshal of the kingdom's army is a talented, experienced knight who is firm but kind.
> 
> Lady Retoree hasn't directly worked with him before, but he treats her with respect and familiarity, the way he does with all of his knights.
> 
> "I understand that you've set your mind to this, and I'm not going to talk you out of it," Sir Rom says, sitting her down in his office, rolling out a map of the kingdom across his desk, as she's seen captains doing with their soldiers. "I'm not trying to do that at all, but you need to have some sort of strategy before you leave the castle, or you're just going to end up wasting your time. I don't want one of my knights to be wandering aimlessly when I could be sending you out there with more of a plan."
> 
> "How are we going to do that?" Retoree asks, frowning at the map. "There were no clues left behind for how the princess disappeared. We don't even know what's happened to her."
> 
> "Not by mundane means, anyway," Rom replies, shaking his head. "But I don't think they've tried testing to see if any magic has been used. That might be a good place to start, without even leaving the castle. I can introduce you to the court sorcerer, Aion. He can help you from there."
> 
> "What's a knight doing dabbling with sorcerers?" Retoree asks, raising an eyebrow.
> 
> Rom shrugs. "I've worked with sorcerers in the past. They're… unpredictable, to say the very least, but they can be incredibly useful too."
> 
> Retoree nods slowly. "And if it's going to help me find the princess, I'm not in any position to say no."
> 
> "That's an important thing to keep in mind," Rom murmurs. "But another thing that you need to consider is… what you're going to do when you finally find the princess. What are you going to say to her? How are you going to bring her home? What are you going to do if she doesn't _want_ to come home?"
> 
> Retoree frowns. "She wants me to bring her home. She wants me to find her. Trust me, I know."
> 
> Rom opens his mouth, as if to argue, but he shuts it again with a sigh. "Okay. I can tell that this is important to you. I hear that you and the princess are close, anyway. If anyone is going to find her, it's going to be you. Come on. I'll introduce you to Aion. He knows a few sorceresses throughout the kingdom as well, so if there's magic behind this, you'll be well-connected. That should definitely help you find Princess Cyan."
> 
> "Thank you," Retoree inclines her head. "It means a lot to me that you're doing what you can to help."
> 
> "That's what I'm here for," Rom replies, patting her on the shoulder. "Chin up, Lady Retoree. You've given yourself a task. You'll see it through to the end. That's what we do."

   
— _Another World_ by bonestopick

 

 

* * *

 

 

Retoree stops at the door to the BRR building and takes a deep breath. Rom, standing beside her, pats her on the back.

"Anyway, I'm heading off. Good luck."

Retoree blinks, turning to him. "You walked me here?"

"This kind of thing can be scary." Rom shrugs. "When you end up caring about someone so much that it's all you can think about, all that you can care about, but you don't really want to show your hand, or let them know that it's how you feel. I get that."

Blinking at him, Retoree asks, "Are you a closet otaku?"

"What?" Rom jumps, his tail going stiff. "No! No. I'm a respectable full-time accountant and a drummer and all my money goes to my bills, not merch—no. I'm not. I'm an adult."

Retoree hums. "If you say so."

"Anyway," Rom coughs. "You're stalling. Just go inside already!"

He gives her a gentle push towards the doors before stalking off, and Retoree snickers to herself before she turns to the door, pushing it open. She's braced herself to find Cyan there, but the bar area is empty except for Angelica, who looks at her with a knowing smile.

"They're upstairs, in the studio," she tells Retoree. "Cyan is just as good as ever. She and Chuchu are working on the new song you all started after she left. Moa is there too. ChuChu knew that you'd join them when you were ready."

"I'll go upstairs right now," Retoree replies, hurrying towards the elevator.

When she gets out of the elevator, she can already hear the music coming from the studio. It's their new song, Retoree realises, and she can hear Cyan's vocals in it. She can tell where the lyrics have been changed up, and it sounds entirely different with two guitars instead of just one.

Retoree already has her phone out as she opens the door of the studio, snapping photos of Cyan with the rest of them, standing on the stage with her guitar slung over her shoulder.

Cyan stops playing immediately, her eyes going wide. "Retoree!"

"Hi—" Retoree begins, but Cyan puts her guitar down and bounds across the room, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I missed you," Cyan says, resting their heads together. She squeezes Retoree before letting go. "It's good to see you again."

"Y-yeah," Retoree replies, nodding. Her face is warm and Cyan has such a cute blush on her face that Retoree wants to take a hundred photos of it, but she can't quite make her hands move. She can't do anything, but stand there and stare at Cyan.

She pulls Cyan into another hug, feeling like she's going to burst. "I'm glad you came back."

"Yeah." Cyan's voice is trembling, and she holds onto Retoree a little tighter. "Me too."


End file.
